Portable computing devices such as persona digital assistants (PDAs) and notebook computers are easily stolen or misplaced. A stolen or misplaced computing device can pose a security risk or risk of the disclosure of confidential information contained in the computing device to a competitor or an unauthorized person. Locating the computing devices, particularly when stolen, can be extremely unlikely; the best chance of locating and recovering stolen or misplaced equipment is if vendors keep a database of such equipment, much like a stolen vehicle database. Typically, vendors do not keep such a database and therefore most users who have their computing device stolen do not expect to recover the device. In certain situations, more important than recovery of the computing device itself is that the data contained in the computing device not be disclosed to unauthorized people or lost.
Thus, what is needed are a system and method for protecting a computing device and the data contained in a misplaced or stolen computing device.